Bright Stars
by Bedraggled Atelier 2
Summary: AU A fortune teller predicts that Remus Lupin is fated to marry a member of the noble House of Black, a young man named after a bright star. He assumes it's Regulus Black, the only surviving member of the Black family. After unfortunate circumstances, Remus journeys to the Black Manor to meet his betrothed, summoning the fey magician who has taken a liking to the name Sirius. SLASH


Author's Note: This was originally a prompt posted on Tumblr - a modern AU where soul mates have the same tattoos. Remus starts dating Regulus Black, thinking that Regulus is his soul mate, only to discover that it's Sirius Black. I have modified it some.

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In the town of Cothymere, young women were preoccupied with marriage - of procuring it and maintaining it til old age, at which time they would worry about their children's marriages. For most of the early morning, they gossiped about the marriage between friends, lamented their singlehood, and hoped that they, too, would soon find themselves wed to a man of good wealth, good looks, and good charm.

Remus Lupin, the thin, sickly man with worn out clothes, was enjoying breakfast as they chattered away. Marriage was no business for him. A spouse was more of a burden than he could handle, and he could barely handle his life now - with his job, the constant move, and his painful, monthly lycanthropy.

"Marriage isn't for everyone," one of the shop girls said. Remus could never remember her name. Was it Abby? "Is it, Remus?"

"Hm?" Remus said, peering at their direction, startled. He had heard parts of their conversation but never expected to be part of it. "No, I don't suppose it is."

"What about you, Remus?" Abby asked. "You never talk about yourself. Have you ever been in love?"

"No, never," Remus mumbled. There was a reason he seldom talked about himself. He feared disclosing any private information, lest he give the wrong information away, information that could inform the other staff of his affliction.

"Why?"

Remus was about to give her some vague answers when a shop girl hurried into the kitchens with a newsletter in hand.

"Have you heard the news about the Black family?" she said, looking overjoyed. She set the newsletter onto the table and pointed at article in the newspaper. "Right here."

"Regulus Black?" the other read, balancing cutlery and a plate of eggs. The one prying Remus for information. Abby.

"Mister Black is looking for a wife. He's the perfect bachelor - handsome, young, and wealthy with a title."

"Do you think he'll want to marry one of the girls in town?" asked a third girl.

Marriage again. It was always about marriage lately.

"Our girls with nobility? Of course not. Nobility only marry other nobility. Besides, we all look like toads compared to the aristocrat."

"Tragic what happened to their family," said the third help solemnly.

"What happened?" muttered Abby while eating.

"Chew before you speak," the first chided. "Regulus Black is the last surviving member of his family. His father, mother, and older brother all passed away."

"How?" asked Abby.

"It started with his older brother Sirius Black. The eldest son was always disappearing as a little boy. His family would gather the hounds and servants to search for him, but they could never find him. Then, one day, he would return like he hadn't been away at all. Kept doing it too. Eventually, they just stopped searching. He disappeared for good at 16. Everyone thought it was one of his tricks again, but no one's heard of him since. His father passed away shortly after, then his mother from a heartache."

"How sad," Abby mourned. "Do you think some ghost snatched him up?"

"No one knows. With the Black family, it could be anything. They're all gifted, you know, with magic."

"A magician," the second said in awe. "He really is the perfect bachelor. The looks, the fortune, the title, and magic too. Almost like a fairy tale."

"Kind hearted too. I know someone who met him once. Said she'd never met such a man. Personality of an angel and the face of an Adonis. Hopefully, he'll have a happier end than his family."

Remus sighed. He had enough of bad news. All he wanted was to finish his breakfast and start the day early and bright. Luckily for him, their conversation ended once their shifts started, but once the girls dispersed into their respective places around the shop, Abby wandered over to Remus. She took a seat beside Remus, watching him eat. It unnerved him.

"Is there a problem?" Remus asked.

"There is," Abby confessed.

"Does it have to do with me?"

"It does," Abby said, fidgeting with her clothes. She was making him nervous now. Finally, she blurted out, "Are there ghosts in your house, Remus?"

"Pardon?"

"Last night, I heard shrieking. Horrible shrieking."

Ah, the full moon. "You must've had a nightmare."

"It wasn't a nightmare. I heard it. Even my mum and dad heard it. We've been hearing it since you and your dad moved in a few months ago."

When evading it failed to work, Remus took to lying, which seldom liked to do but frequently had to do.

"Ah, well," Remus began, smiling. "since you've discovered my secret, I guess I must tell you. Tell no one. No one else."

"I won't, but if you've done something wrong, Remus-"

"I haven't." Remus paused. Abby watched him silently. Poor thing hardly breathe at all. "I am haunted by a spirit. It comes out every so often and terrifies us all."

"Is it here now?"Abby whispered, gripping the table in fear.

"No, not now." Remus stood up with his plate. "Now, I have to start work."

He thought he had avoided Abby's scrutiny, but she returned again in the evening. Remus sighed. "Abby, the ghost won't harm you nor me. You don't have to follow me around with questions."

"But it does harm you, doesn't it? You always look unwell. What if it kills you someday?"

"Then what is your solution?" Remus asked.

"There's a carnival in town. The girls are going to get our fortunes read. I thought you'd might like to come with. Maybe she can tell you how to chase away the," she lowered her voice, "ghost."

If only that were possible. The true haunting was his lycanthropy, and that was never going away. No, it would be his malady for life.

"You've convinced me. It'll be nice to see what fortune or misfortune to be aware of."


End file.
